Europe's Best Song Contest 2019
|presenters = Anouk Jan Smit Tim Douwsm |opening = |exsupervisor = Andreas Andreasen |host = AVROTROS |interval = | entries = 43 | debut = None | return = North Macedonia | withdraw = Bulgaria | map year = | col1 = #782167| tag1 = Confirmed country | col2 = #22b14c| tag2 = Confirmed countries that have selected their song and/or performer | col3 = #FFD700| tag3 = Countries that participated in the past but not in 2019 | vote = Each country awarded 12, 10, 8-1 points to their 10 favorite songs |null = | winner = |nex = |pre = }}The Europe's Best Song Contest 2019 will be the 16th edition of the Song Contest. It will take place in Netherlands, after their win in the 2018 edition with Amy von Stolleen and her song "Up There". Forty-three countries have confirmed their participation in the contest, with North Macedonia returning after a one-year break and Bulgaria withdrawing from the contest. Preliminary dates The preliminary dates for the contest were announced on 15 September 2018 at a meeting of Heads of Delegation in Amsterdam, with the semi-finals scheduled to take place on 21 and 23 May and the final on 25 May 2017. Semi-final allocation draw The Semi-final allocation draw took place on the 26 January 2019, in Amsterdam. The pots were determined on the 12 January 2019, based on the countries geographical position. Participating countries Forty-three countries will participate in the contest, with North Macedonia returning after a one year break, whilst Bulgaria withdrew from the contest. Semi-finalists Semi-Final 1 Nineteen countries will participate in the first semi-final. Italy, Netherlands and Spain will also vote in this semi-final. Semi-Final 2 Eighteen countries will participate in the first semi-final. France, Germany and United Kingdom will also vote in this semi-final. Finalists Other countries List of countries in the Europe's Best Song Contest Eligibility for potential participation in the Europe's Best Song Contest requires a national broadcaster with active EBU membership that will be able to broadcast the contest via the Eurovision network. The EBU will issue an invitation of participation in the contest to all fifty-six active members. Active EBU members * Andorra – Despite being absent for 11 years, local media reported that Ràdio i Televisió d'Andorra (RTVA) was still interested in returning to the contest, but the principality's failure to make the final along with the cost was discouraging the broadcaster from participating. In order for a return to take place, RTVA would need funding from the Andorran Government. It is currently unknown whether Andorra will receive this funding from the government and whether they will be able to return to the contest. However, on 20 May 2018, RTVA announced that Andorra will not return to the contest in the near future, nor participate in any EBU contests. * Bosnia and Herzegovina – On 25 May 2018, the Bosnian broadcaster, Radio and Television of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BHRT), stated that the country will not be able to compete in the 2019 Europe's Best Song Contest due to debt-related sanctions placed on them by the EBU. * Bulgaria – Despite initially confirming their participation in the 2019 contest, on 13th October 2018, Bulgarian National Television (BNT) announced that members of their delegation would be moving onto different projects, thus putting the 2019 participation in doubt. Later, on 16 October 2018, BNT announced that Bulgaria will withdraw from the 2019 contest due to financial reasons. * Lebanon – On 11th October 2018, Télé Liban announced that they will not return to the contest in 2019. * Luxembourg – On 30th July 2018, RTL Télé Lëtzebuerg (RTL) announced that they will not return to the contest in 2019. * Monaco – On 20th August 2018, Télé Monte Carlo (TMC) announced that they will not return to the contest in 2019. * Morocco – On 11th October 2018, Société Nationale de Radiodiffusion et de Télévision (SNRT) announced that they will not return to the contest in 2019. * Turkey – On 6th September 2018, Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT) announced that they will not return to the contest in 2019. Associate EBU members * Kazakhstan – On 22 December 2017, it was claimed that Channel 31 had finalised negotiations with the EBU, allowing Kazakhstan to debut in 2019; however, on 23 December 2017, the EBU released a statement stating that "Channel 31 Kazakhstan has indeed expressed interest in becoming a member of the EBU and hence participate in the Europe's Best Song Contest. However, since Channel 31 is outside the European Broadcasting Area and is also not a member of the Council of Europe, it is not eligible to become an active member of the EBU". Non-EBU members * Liechtenstein – On 4 November 2017, 1 FL TV, the national broadcaster of the Principality of Liechtenstein, confirmed that the country were planning a debut in the 2019 contest, and that they were currently in the process of applying for EBU membership and are "in the process of complying all requirements". * Kosovo – According to EBU guidelines, Kosovo's participation in 2019 is possible, if the country hosting the show recognizes Kosovo as a sovereign country, and since Netherlands do recognise Kosovo as a sovereign state, participation is possible. RTK general director Mentor Shala said that they are still pushing for full membership, and still hope to debut at the 2019 contest. They are currently still in talks with the EBU. The EBU will vote on full membership of the Kosovar broadcaster in December 2018, possibly allowing the country to debut in 2019.